Monthly Archives: August 2015

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; Romans 8:6

Choose a spiritual, not a carnal mindset. Carnality is at the core of our unregenerate nature, and it lives on in us even after we become Christians. Its gravitational pull is always away from God toward self-centered living. The Bible says, ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be’ (v. 7). The carnal mind makes us suspicious, skeptical, self-promoting, and spiritually blind to God’s will. Being spiritually-minded means centering your choices around God’s Word and the Spirit’s prompting. And the good news is,‘You…are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit, if you have the Spirit of God living in you’ (v. 9). Giving in to the flesh isn’t inevitable. You get to decide whether the flesh or the Spirit guides you! Peter, in a spiritual mindset, received a revelation of Jesus’ deity.‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied ‘This was not revealed to you by man [flesh], but by My Father’ (Matthew 16:16-17).Shortly afterward, Jesus confided to His disciples the dreadful means of His death. And in a moment of well-meaning but misguided carnality, Peter refused to accept it.‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to You!’ (v. 22).A carnal mindset is an invitation to Satan. So Jesus told Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but…of men’ (v. 23). So keep your mind spiritually focused and ready to do God’s will.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to remain in Your will and to walk always facing You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

Nothing matters more than recognizing and walking in God’s will. When you don’t know His will, it can be a real source of insecurity. Knowing you’re walking in His will enables you to rise above the challenges life throws at you. The question is: does God intend us to know His will? If not, why bother searching? Let His Word settle the issue once and for all: ‘Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.’ There’s no vagueness there! ‘The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives’ (Psalms 37:23). God will address even your smallest concern. So what do you need to discern it? Let’s consider some practical Bible principles: There’s no room for two wills. If you want God’s will, you must be prepared to surrender your own will. Jesus said, ‘As I listen to the Father, I make My judgments. My judgments are right because I don’t try to do what I want but what the One who sent Me wants’ (John 5:30). Wills frequently clash, so there are choices you must make, and maintain, if you want to walk in obedience to God (Matthew 26:39). Begin your search by surrendering your will; then focus your heart and mind on God and His enlightening Word. Once you accept that He is the leader and you are the follower, it’s a lot easier to say, ‘I delight to do Thy will, O…God…Thy law is within my heart’ (Psalms 40:8).

Prayer
Heavenly Father, to walk in Your Will is the only place I want to walk. Forgive me when I walk in the path I want to walk. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5

The disciples were overwhelmed by a sense of failure: ‘We have toiled all night and caught nothing’ (v. 5). Look at them, washing their nets—the last thing fishermen do before they pack up and head for home. And that’s when Jesus showed up! He waits until you’ve reached the end of your rope, then He steps in. Why? Because as long as you think you can solve the problem on your own, you won’t reach for Him. Do you feel overwhelmed by failure today? Are you saying, ‘Lord, I tried so hard, but look at my marriage, my finances, my career. I’ve been mistreated and overlooked. Perhaps they’re right about me; maybe I’m not supposed to be blessed.’ No, Jesus can turn your situation around if you’ll go to Him and say what Peter said: ‘Master…because you say so, I will.’ Obedience, even when it doesn’t seem to make sense, is what leads to blessing. Notice what happened next: ‘They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break’ (v. 6). On the other side of your decision to obey God waits a blessing so great that it’ll also touch the lives of those around you. One word changed everything—‘Master’. It’s an expression of worship. It’s an acknowledgment that He’s in control of the circumstances you’re facing. Master over weakness. Master over fear. Master over lack. Go ahead and say it: ‘Master, take control of things. Better still, take control of me.’ Jesus had bigger things in mind for the disciples. After this miracle we read, ‘They…left everything and followed Him’ (v. 11).

Prayer
Heavenly Father, MASTER, take charge of my life and help me in all of my failures. I am tired of trying to do it on my own. Help me dear Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalms 91:16

When asked, ‘How do you grow old so gracefully?’ Alexandre Dumas replied, ‘Because I give all my time to it.’ If you’re over fifty, let your age be measured by your spiritual progress instead of a date on the calendar. How would you like to have these words engraved on your headstone? ‘Enoch lived…365 years. Enoch walked …with God; then he was no more, because God took him away’ (Genesis 5:23-24). Picture this: Enoch goes for a walk with God and when they reach a certain point, God says, ‘It’s closer to My house than yours, so just come home with Me.’ Like an old oak tree, a mature Christian’s roots have weathered life’s storms. But don’t take your wisdom to the grave with you; share it with people who’ll listen. And those who are wise will listen, because they recognize the foolishness of paying twice for the same information. Don’t retire—refocus. Victor Hugo once said, ‘Forty is old age to youth, fifty is youth to old age.’ With God, availability, not age, is what counts. The Bible says: ‘There was…a prophetess, Anna…she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them (Mary and Joseph with the Christ child) at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all’ (Luke 2:36-38). The world respects ex-generals and ex-presidents, but not ex-Christians. A respected character actor said, ‘As we grow older we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping our minds active and open.’ So live for God until your last breath.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, the older I get the more I realize the things that are important and the things that are puff – help me see that the most important thing in my life is my relationship with You and how I reflect that to others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. 1 Corinthians 2:5

One of the greatest breakthroughs in modern psychology is the Law of Reversibility. It works like this: when you feel a certain way, you act accordingly. And when you don’t feel like doing something, but you do it anyway, that same dynamic creates the feeling consistent with your actions. Dallas Willard put it like this: ‘You can live opposite of what you profess, but you can’t live opposite of what you believe. Invariably what you believe is revealed by what you do.’ Because fear is a learned response, it can be unlearned. There are two kinds of courage. The first kind calls for action. President Andrew Jackson said, ‘Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in. One man with courage makes a majority.’ The second kind calls for patience: the tenacity to keep persevering after you’ve done your best and before you’ve seen results. Often the difference between a hero and a coward is that a hero hangs in there five minutes longer! When you run from intimidating situations, fear multiplies until eventually it controls your life. But when you tackle your problems head-on, ‘not in human wisdom but in the power of God’, your confidence rises until you reach a point where you’re no longer controlled by fear. William Cowper wrote: ‘God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread, are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.’

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me overcome my fears with the wisdom and strength that can only come from You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

There are different kinds of fear. There’s the kind that warns you to stay away from fire. There’s the kind that cultivates respect for God (Psalms 2:11). Oswald Chambers said, ‘ When you fear God, you don’t have to fear anything else.’ There’s fear that makes you feel helpless; sometimes it’s rooted in parental criticism or a bully’s threats, and although it’s groundless, it still haunts you. There’s the fear of failing, which if left unchallenged becomes the father of failure. Job said, ‘What I feared has come upon me’ (Job 3:25). There’s fear of the unknown where your imagination runs amok. What if you never meet the ‘right person’, or you lose your job, or the biopsy confirms the worst? Over and over in His Word God says, ‘Don’t be afraid…I am with you.’ Paul Tournier notes: ‘Life and faith always insist on moving on—and I cannot move forward without leaving something behind. The trapeze artist must let go of one trapeze at precisely the right moment and hover in the void before grabbing the other. Faith calls us out of our comfort zone…to learn new skills and minister in different ways.’ But we get uptight. We think, ‘What if God asks me to do something I can’t do?’ or ‘I don’t have the strength, wisdom, or faith.’ If you were relying on your own resources, you’d be in trouble. But the fact is, ‘God…knew you and chose you’ (1 Peter 1:2). Every time you meet a new challenge He strengthens you by proving that He not only supplies the tools, but is responsible for the outcome.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to overcome my fears; except the fear of You that is trust that You are always with me and watching my back. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Nehemiah 8:4

Standing on a specially-built platform within Jerusalem’s newly-built walls, Ezra the scribe read God’s Word to the people for six hours. As he read it they wept, worshipped, and went home rejoicing. Think: God’s Word is so powerful that all you have to do is expose people to it and their lives are changed. Notice the words, ‘Ezra…stood on a platform…they had made for the purpose.’ When the printing press was invented, one of the first books produced was the Bible. It gave birth to the Reformation, influenced the Industrial Revolution and changed the world. Now fast-forward to the age of the Internet. Today we have a ‘platform’ capable of reaching every level of society, all the way to the most remote corners of the earth. Instead of complaining about the garbage on the Internet, become an Internet evangelist, teacher, counsellor or encourager. Don’t let the enemy monopolize it! ‘Those who turn many to righteousness [will shine] like the stars forever and ever’ (Daniel 12:3). A geologist-turned-missionary was asked by a large oil company to go to work for them in the country where he ministered. His annual salary would be more than he’d earn in his entire lifetime as a missionary. But he said, ‘No.’ When they asked, ‘Isn’t the salary high enough?’ he replied, ‘The salary’s high enough; the job isn’t!’ Jesus said, ‘When I have been lifted…I will draw all people toward Me’ (John 12:32). And we have been given a platform to reach the world—let’s use it!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the platform that you have given me to reflect Your Mercy and Compassion to a starving world in need of Your Presence. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

When the Bible says, ‘Pray without ceasing,’ that means pray every day, not just periodically or when you’re in trouble. ‘The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much’ (James 5:16). The word ‘fervent’ means passionate, persistent and determined. It’s not the number of our prayers, how many they are; nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they may be; nor the geometry of our prayers, how long they may be; nor the music of our prayers, how sweet our voice may be; nor the logic of our prayers, how argumentative they may be; nor the method of our prayers, how orderly they may be; nor even the theology of our prayers, how good the doctrine is, that God responds to. Fervency of spirit is what ‘avails much’. The most powerful thing you can do is pray! And when you join with a prayer partner, your potential is awesome. ‘If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that [you] ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven’ (Matthew 18:19). It works like this: the less you pray, the less you want to pray; the more you pray, the more you want to pray. Nothing will motivate you to pray like answered prayer. But you can’t start with the answer; you’ve got to start with the prayer! Here’s a fact of life: we only keep doing what rewards us. So the key to building a great prayer life is to pray until you get answers. Think how deeply rooted doubt can become in our hearts when we’re actually surprised to find our prayers answered! So pray in faith and expect God to answer!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, my sinful nature and the devil always wants me to not talk with You. Help me to overcome that temptation and spend more time talking with – and more important – listening to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Following a plan is like using a GPS device. If it knows where you are, you tell it where you want to go, and it creates a personalized road map. The difference between a GPS and you is you have to create all your own turn-by-turn directions. Mark Twain said, ‘The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting the first one.’ To reach your destination you must ask yourself three questions: 1) What’s my present position? It’s impossible to ignore the reality of where you are right now and still be successful. The former CEO of General Electric observed, ‘Strategic management is trying to understand where you will sit in tomorrow’s world, not where you hope to sit; it’s assessing where you want to be, and where you can be.’ 2) What’s my desired destination? Write down what your dream will look like when you’ve achieved it. Henry J. Kaiser, founder of Kaiser-Permanente health care system, said, ‘The evidence is overwhelming that you cannot begin to achieve your best unless you have some aim in life.’ 3) What are the in-between steps? Don’t expect them to be quick or easy. Creativity is messy. It’s far from an exact science. But unless you know where you want to go and identify the steps that will get you there, ten years from now you’ll still be where you are today. So the word for you today is: ‘Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get.’

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me determine the course that You have already charted out for me and then give me the faith and the patience to follow it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, Ephesians 4:11

Pastors have a tough job. They get more kicks than kisses. If a pastor is young he lacks experience; if he’s grey-haired he’s too old. If he has five kids he has too many; if he has none he’s setting a bad example. If his wife sings in the choir she’s being forward; if not, she’s not dedicated enough. If he preaches from notes he’s dry; if he’s extemporaneous he’s too shallow. If he spends too much time in his study he’s neglecting his people; if he makes home visits he’s not a good time manager. If he’s attentive to the poor he’s after public approval; if he attends to the wealthy he’s ingratiating. If he suggests improvements he’s a dictator; if he doesn’t he has no vision. If he uses too many illustrations he neglects the Bible; if he doesn’t use enough stories, he’s unclear. If he speaks against wrong he’s legalistic; if he doesn’t he’s a compromiser. If he preaches for an hour he’s windy; less than that, he has nothing to say. If he preaches the truth he’s offensive; if he doesn’t he’s wishy-washy. If he fails to please everybody he’s hurting the church; if he tries to please everybody he has no convictions. If he preaches tithing he’s a money-grabber; if not, he’s failing to develop his people. If he receives a large salary he’s mercenary; if he doesn’t it proves he’s not worth much. If he preaches on a regular basis, people get tired of hearing the same person; if he invites guest preachers he’s shirking his responsibility. Wow! And you thought your pastor had an easy life! How’d you like to change places? Bottom line: love your pastor. Your pastor is who God called to serve you.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to lift up and support my pastor and see my pastor as someone who You have placed to serve those in the congregation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen